Listen to Eircom offers carefully, or any offers probably.

NewBeefFarmer

well.. didnt know eircom had a page here, so as i spent 37 minutes on the phone to them last week, im just going to type this to you rather than call and make a complaint.



it will also make sure others are aware.


I'm with eircom 4 maybe 5 years. I used to have BB also up until Dec 2010, when i realised 3G with a mobile/wireless device was far more superior. o2 to be precise.


but back in 2009 when i had BB with eircom, at the time i got connected i had a 1mb line, which obviously turned in to a .8mb max (by the way this was like 45 quid a month including the off peak call package. so i ran to up grade to a 3mb line, and was charged i think about 50/55 a month. but realising my DL speed was only 1.6mb max. . i quickly made the call and was told the exchange is congested bla bla bla bla. . so i said, sure, can you just drop me back to the 1mb line, no point paying more for a little extra. . in dec 2010 i ditched eircom for BB and went with 02 wifi 3g. DL speed ranging 3-4mbs at any time. . . only gripe with it is the wifi unit is weak. and im moving it around the house for the best singals etc. . .


so basically always keeping an eye on the eircom site hoping one day for a BB offer for maybe NG BB like an 8mb line in my area. . . never mind dreaming of efibre. 24 or 48 what ever mb . . i dont listen do what i call (dublin/galway radio ads) ud think everyone lived in these 2 citys.



anyway, i am paying just 30/35 a month for phone only for the last 4 yrs. the deal is 30 a month, the 4/5 extra i pay, well this is simply because eirom decided to move off peak from 6 to 7pm, so when i come in from work, if i was to wait for off peak to make a call, id be sitting for 1hr and 30mins say, and as per my username, i farm. .. anyway. . thats just another nail in the coffin regarding this country and making changes for corp greed. . ..


Got a lovely call from Andy in eircom last week.

keep in mind now sky are flooding the mkt with all sorts of promises for BB.


this was a 37 min call. . im going to put just the jist in down here. so bare with me.



2 mins in : uve been with eircom for yrs, u dont have bb with us. we can offer you a BB package, for 8mb line, the first 6 months are free, after that you pay 15eur a month extra. so thats 30+15, totally 45 a month after your 6 months free deal. .. .

4mins in, i said. .. you go check your line now andy, you will find that it cant take it.

5mins in., I just checked here, yes you have been upgraded.
6mins in , i said are you sure. . yes he replied, . . . then hold on a min. . ..

8 mins in. . . i have just spoken with the techni here, and the vans were in the area this week and last, and the exhange has been upgraded. I said, well i see a new box in for ng or efiber for a yr or two now, but i know from various sources that its not been made available here.

10 mins in, no no its upgraded. . . I asked what speed can you guarantee me. .. he said min of 3mb.
I said, 3mb. your offering me 8, but only guaranteeing me 3mb, i said i can get 3-4mb on what i have.
13 mins in, , I was told yes, but we need to specify a minimum, . . I then went on to say that its more or less the same as what i have. i pay 20eur to o2, so ill only save 5eur by switching.

I said is there nothing else that i can get. I went down the whole area of Mike in dublin getting efibre for 40quid a month and getting a 24mb line etc.. or 5 miles in the down getting NGB for years, and surely there would be a better offer.
15mins in. I said can i take it and cancel it if its not up to speed, he said, well no, its a 1yr contract.
17 mins in, I was so shocked, i said, im with eircom for years, and you want to tie me up in a contract for a BB offer on top of my phone package that ive had for 4-5 yrs. yes he replied. (i knew this was something to do with all the sky offers i see for BB)
18 mins in, I said, so 6 months free. 8mb line, min of 3mb should be got, then after the 6 months my bill will increase by 15eur...

andy replied yes
ok, but what if Im not happy about this and i dont find it better than my current BB. he said you have 7 day trial. . .
20mins, in, that kinda swung me. i said go for it so, i had my wife beside me. we both agreed, try it. maybe its upgraded, maybe this is what we were looking for 1 supplier, better wifi in the house etc. .. it was flawless when we had it before, only for the speed.
25 mins in, we had it all tied up, he had me on hold a bit, and confirming details, postage for the bb box etc. and how id get it up and running.



Andy then confirmed my order back to me.


8mb line,

6 months free,

after the 6 months you pay an extra 20eur, on top of the 30 you paying already. .

I said.. . . HOLD on a sec ther andy, 20, you;ve spoken about 15eur for this entire call. .. yes, i am sorry he replied, its 20, not 15. ..
I was totally totally getting Peed off with this call.

thinking now, its the exact same as what im paying now.

around 27 mins in the call was getting heated.
I then decided, you know what, its ordered now, who knows, maybe ill get 6mb and only be paying the same as i am now.



So i said ok, ill agree to take it,

30mins in. . . I confirmed it all back to him, and said how i wasnt happy. that i was been mis-sold an offer and at the end be fooled over a quick confirmation of order, only for i had my ears wide open, (which normally id say most poeple would be watching telly at this stage letting andy just talk away).
anyway. . I remember when the gasket blew. .. I was finishing up saying that its probably not too bad if ur offering min 3mb. ..Andy quickly replied max 3.


Hold on pal, you said min 3, now your telling me max 3,


I then followed up fast with. . Andy, are you offering me a 8mb line for an extra 20quid, or a 3mb line for 20.


the answer, 3mb for 20 extra.


I said,.. . so we started this call 33mins ago. .. with 8mb for an extra 15eur a month, and we are ending it at 3mb for 20 extra. .






you can imagine now that i let this buck know my frustration.


I told him, Thats not an upgrade. thats the 3mb line offer, that i had 4 years ago, that turned in to a 1.6mb connection that i cancelled within 24 hrs.

I then said, why cant you offer me more. told me congestion on the line.

I then followed up, Andy. . . you have max 3mb offerings . . in my area. . .I KNOW NOBODY that has eircom BB in my area, village. . . etc. .


Listen. i ended the call well with him. . . i was actaully glad he rand making an offer on BB, its what im waiting for, but Geeees lads. . . . im totally peed off.


needless to say, we only need the landline as the mrs is from up the country and she rings home a fair bit, and its easier than to be on a mobile stuck to a pain of glass for signal in the house.






anyway. . .


beware. . . geeeees just beware. .



and for eircom. . careful what you are offering people. . .. totally mis-leading. . .


im still 50/50 on whether it was deliberate.


NBF

PyeContinental

Doesn't surprise me to hear this at all.

Re your cellular mobile broadband dongle, you could try getting a mobile wifi hotspot. Mount this in the area of your house where you get the best 3G signal, and it then communicates to your laptops in your house with wifi.

Like this:
http://www.o2online.ie/o2/business/sme/detail.php?pid=80

Or try this with your existing 3G USB dongle:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00634PLTW

Another option could be to find out if there is Wimax type internet available in your area. This works by putting a transceiver (aerial) on your roof, pointing to a mast on a high site in your locality, providing you with internet connectivity to your house that uses the same kind of router that you'd have from a phone line.

You can get speeds up to about 4mbits, for a cost of about €300 per year. There is a once off installation fee of about €100 or so. You would normally get a much larger download limit than with 3G.

Network reliability can sometimes be less than by cable or phoneline, so ask around the area if anyone has experience and could recommend. If it is reliable, you can use it for Skype and Voice-over-IP phone calls, so you may even be able to get rid of your phone line.

NewBeefFarmer

I have the wifi o2 unit,
its upstairs. . . Wifi Signal can be weak then downstairs. But hey. . Im working it :-)

PyeContinental

You could try installing a wifi repeater, which extends the range of an existing wifi signal, somewhere between the upstairs and downstairs of your house.

This access point device can be configured as a wifi repeater:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002YETVXC

raymix

Power line adapter (or homeplug) will be cheaper alternative than wifi repeater, plus it's more reliable, faster and can extend up to 300m. The more expensive ones even comes with built-in wifi extender.